Packing tips and how-to guides for minimizing your pack.

What is One Bag Travel?

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One Bag Travel is the art and science of packing light.

 

There are competing definitions, techniques, and philosophies; for some it's packing a single backpack, for others it's a backpack plus day bag, and for still others it's an overhead roller suitcase with a personal item; with many variations in between.

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Some believe one-bagging is about optimizing your pack for each trip, others believe it's about minimizing your pack so you worry less while traveling, and some consider one-bagging a lifestyle, with the goal of packing everything you need to live in a single backpack.

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However you define it, it’s about minimizing your pack for maximum flexibility, in a way that fits your style, budget, and needs.​

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What Are The Main Benefits of One Bag Travel?

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​The primary benefits of one-bag travel include 1. No Luggage Fees, 2. No Lost Luggage, 3. Ease of Movement, 4. Flexible Travel Plans, 5. More Transportation Options, 6. Maximized Travel Days, 7. Simplified Packing, 8. Minimized Decision Fatigue, 9. An Eco-Friendly Lifestyle, and 10. Mental Freedom.

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While some benefits are obvious, others are more subtle. A smaller pack gives you ultimate flexibility as you move between cars, buses, planes and trains, and a backpack gives you the flexibility to walk, bike, scooter, or motorbike with all your belongings (arguably required in many parts of the world).

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Beyond ease of movement, packing fewer things inherently simplifies the packing process and your packing choices - many one-bag travelers have a pre-set pack list that they use for every trip, like a bug-out bag for jumping continents.

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For a deep-dive on the benefits of One Bag Travel, check out The Benefits of One-Bag Travel.

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What Are The Main Challenges of One-Bag Travel?​

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The primary challenges of one-bag travel are 1. Style, 2. Shoes, 3. Clothing, 4. Laundry, 5. Weather, 6. Cost, 7. Space, 8. Specialty Gear, 9. Time, and 10. Planning.

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A minimalist approach to packing will inherently limit your style, while packing less than a week's worth of clothes means doing laundry on a daily or fortnightly basis. High-quality travel gear takes time to research and test and can be expensive, and if you lose it while traveling, it may be difficult to replace; lastly, one-bag travel requires careful planning and an awareness of your needs that only comes from trying, tweaking and improving over time.

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For a deep-dive on the challenges of One Bag Travel, check out The Challenges of One-Bag Travel.

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What Size Backpack Do I Need for One-Bag Travel?

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A good starting size backpack for one bag travel is 40L - over 40L and you run the risk of having to check your bag, under 40L and you may find packing difficult - at least to start.

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But there is no perfect answer; airlines have size and weight restrictions, in addition to airline personnel making one-the-spot judgements of your pack size. A lightly packed 45L bag may easily go through security at one airport and get stopped at another, an overpacked 35L that looks heavy may get scrutinized by airline security and fall into the checked bin.

 

A 40L backpack is a *relatively* safe starting point, but for a detailed list of airlines and their weight restrictions, check out Airline Size and Weight Restrictions by Country, Region, and Airline.

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Note: ​Many people start one-bagging with a 50+ Liter hiking backpack, because that's what they see everyone else doing, and predictably, it's easy to overpack; people with a few trips under their belt can easily get down to 40L, while extreme minimalist travelers can comfortably pack <20L, with a few caveats. 

 

For tips and methods on minimizing your pack, check out How to Minimize Your Pack for One-Bag Travel, or continue reading.​

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How Do I Minimize My Pack for One Bag Travel?

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One-bag travel is 90% mental, 10% material, 5% method, and 3% math - kidding - but really, minimizing your pack largely comes down to changing your relationship with clothes; from knowing what to pack, to choosing the right material, to caring less about how you look, to choosing function over fashion.​

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• Mindset: More than anything else, one bag travel requires the right mindset; if you don't have the mindset down, no amount of travel gear will matter. Minimalist travel requires flexibility, non-traditional thinking, and occasional trade-offs. ​For a deep-dive on how one-bag travelers think differently, check out The One Bag Traveler's Mindset.​

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• Methods: One-bag travelers define specific methods and routines to stay organized and keep their packs to minimum; the four primary methods to think about are laundry, packing, work setup, and everyday carry. For a deep-dive on one-bag travel methods, check out One Bag Methods for Minimizing Your Pack.

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• Materials: Though not required, travel-specific clothing like quick-dry base layers, multi-functional mid-layers, and lightweight, packable outer layers can drastically minimize your pack size; for a deep dive on travel-specific clothing, check out Travel Clothes for One Bag Travel, or keep reading.​

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What Are Essential One-Bag Packing Items?

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There are few items that are universally packed, but at a high level, one-bag travelers have 1) a method for doing laundry, 2) a method for packing, 3) a selection of daily carry items, and 4) whatever tech is necessary to work effectively.

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For example, a one bag traveler might carry:

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• Compression packing cubes, dry bags, wash bags, or vacuum-seal bags for packing

• A portable wash bag, wash basin, sink stopper, dry bag, or a plastic bag for laundry

• A packable day bag, chest sling, tote bag, or hiking pack for day trips

• A portable charger, international travel adapter, headphones, and cables.​​​​​

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Many of these items serve multiple purposes, for example, wash bags can be used as vacuum-sealed compression bags, dry bags work can work as wash bags and compression bags, packable day bags can double as laundry bags, etc.​

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For a deep-dive on commonly packed essentials, check out Essential One-Bag Travel Accessories.

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What Are The Best Clothes for One-Bag Travel?​

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Anything touching your skin, i.e. base layers (ex. socks, shirts, and underwear) should be quick-drying, antibacterial, sweat-wicking, and comfortable; some popular brands include: 

 

• Socks: Darn Tough, SmartWool, Icebreaker, REI Coolmax 

• Shirts: Outlier, Icebreaker, Arc'teryx, Patagonia, Western Rise 

• Underwear: Exofficio, Lululemon, Smartwool, Outdoor Research

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Mid-layers like shorts, pants, and lightweight hoodies should be comfortable, durable, and ideally, multifunctional; some popular brands include: 

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• Shorts: Western Rise Evolution, Outlier New Way, Patagonia Baggies

• Pants: Arc'teryx Palisade, Western Rise Evolution, Patagonia Quandary, Lululemon ABC

• Lightweight Hoodies: Patagonia R1 Air, Unbound Merino, Arc'teryx Ionia, Kuhl 

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Outer layers (if necessary) are ideally water/stain-repellent, mid-to-lightweight, and consist of more durable nylon/polyester fabric blends; some popular brands include: 

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• Patagonia, Unbound Merino, Arc'teryx, Western Rise, Icebreaker, REI Sahara, Kuhl, Marmot

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For a deep-dive on travel clothes for one-bag travel, check out Travel Clothes for One Bag Travel.

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What Are The Best Shoes for One-Bag Travel?

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For general travel, most one-bag travelers recommend a single pair of trail-runners or light hiking shoes; trail-runners offer a balance between being sturdy enough for hiking yet comfortable enough for daily-wear.

 

If you need a dressier option, add a low-profile casual shoe; if you're traveling to cool or rainy climates, trail-runners with waterproof socks may be better than packing thick boots; if you need something dressier than your casual shoes or warmer than trail-runners, you'll have to pack a third pair.

 

In general, pack a single pair of shoes for each activity/climate and consolidate where possible.

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For sandals, there are three options: hiking sandals, barefoot sandals, or inexpensive flip flops. Hiking sandals open the door to more intense watersport uses, but cost the most; barefoot sandals offer the smallest footprint with the least amount of comfort, and flip flops offer an inexpensive, worry-free solution.

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For a deep-dive on shoe selection for one-bag travel, check out Choosing Shoes for One-Bag Travel.​​​​​​​​​​

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What Should I Pack for My First One-Bag Trip?

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Assuming you're traveling for more than two weeks, a good starting point is:

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• One week's worth of multifunctional clothing (or less)

• One pair of trail-runner shoes, with an optional second casual shoe, and sandals

• Packing cubes, dry bags, vacuum-sealed bags, or a wash bag for packing

• A packable day bag, chest sling, tote bag, or hiking pack for day trips and personal items

• A portable wash bag, wash basin, dry bag, or sink stopper for laundry

• Any necessary electronics​

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For a deep-dive on how to pack for your first one-bag trip, check out Getting Started with One-Bag Travel; if you're planning an extended overseas trip, also check out How to Pack for Long-Term Travel.​​

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What's The Best Bag for One-Bag Travel?

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There is no such thing as a "best" bag for one-bag travel, and there is no "one" bag that can do it all; different backpacks serve different purposes, ranging from tech-focused commuter bags to waterproof hiking packs to highly-organized photography bags to middle-of-the-road travel packs. The perfect bag for you will come down to your needs, desired features, budget, body type, packing list and style preferences.

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That being said, there are a number of features that are important to consider when it comes to finding the right backpack, those features are capacity, comfort, use cases, organization, opening style and extras. 

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For a deep-drive on determining the best bag for you, check out How to Choose a Backpack for One-Bag Travel or continue reading.​​

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What Features Should I Look for in a Travel Backpack?

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The high-level considerations when choosing a backpack are: capacity, comfort, use cases, organization, opening style, and extras (bonus features).

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1. Capacity - anywhere from 20-40L, depending on your pack list.

2. Comfort - backpack fit, frames, hip belts, load-lifters, sternum straps, shoulder straps, etc.

3. Use Cases - general travel, hiking, commuting, sport, media-focused, etc.

4. Organization - pockets, laptop sleeves, bottle holders, hidden compartments, etc.

5. Opening Style - front-load vs top-load vs roll-top vs side access vs multi-access.

6. Extras - expansion packs, detachable packs, compression straps, handles, materials, etc.

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For a deep-dive on backpack features, check out How to Choose a Backpack for One-Bag Travel.

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How Do I Choose the Right Backpack Size?​

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Most one-baggers fall somewhere in the 20-40L range. Sub-20L one-baggers are packing 2-4 day's worth of clothes and doing laundry every night, 40L one-baggers are often packing a week's worth of clothes and doing laundry weekly; others fall somewhere in this range. Antibacterial fabric can reduce how often you need to wash, while quick-dry clothing can speed up the inevitable hang-drying; both help reduce the size of your pack.

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The only way to determine your backpack size is to get everything out and do a test pack, using a backpack you have on hand, or making a purchase with the option of returning it; nearly all major backpack vendors offer a 30-day return policy, and we highly recommend taking advantage of it.

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For a deep-dive on finding the right backpack, check out How to Choose a Backpack for One-Bag Travel.​​​​

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How Do I Pack for Variable Climates?

 

Packing for variable climates requires careful planning and compromise; there are two popular methods, layering and mod-layering (modified layering).

 

Traditional layering is often referenced in the hiking/backpacking community for people spending a lot of time outdoors. Traditional layering uses a combination of lightweight, midweight, and heavyweight fabrics based on expected climate, temperature, and weather.

 

Traditional layering might be overkill for general travel, since spending time in the elements is often a smaller component of a larger trip; but if you know you'll be traveling to cool/cold climates, traditional layering may be necessary.

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If you’re like many travelers primarily traveling to moderate or hot climates, you may want to consider mod-layering (i.e. modified layering); where traditional layering uses lightweight, midweight, and heavyweight fabrics with a focus on outdoor activities, mod-layering uses ultralight, lightweight, and midweight fabrics with a focus on general travel.

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Mod-layering offers more comfort at higher temp ranges (90F/32C and above), while offering little to no comfort at lower temperatures (40F/4.4C or below).

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For a deep-dive on layering, mod-layering, and expected comfort ranges for various combinations, check out Layering and Mod-Layer Travel Clothes.​​

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How Do I Do Laundry While Traveling?

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There are five methods for doing laundry on the road: hostel/hotel laundry, DIY laundromats, 24-hour drop-off service, on-site/at-home laundry, and hand-washing.

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Hostel or hotel laundry is the easiest, but isn't always an option, DIY laundromats are everywhere, but can be inconvenient, 24-drop off services are easy, but only work if you have the time, and hand-washing, the tried-and-true method of many one-bag travelers, is inconvenient at times, yet oddly satisfying.

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For a deep-dive on the pros and cons of each method, check out The Five Methods of Doing Laundry While Traveling.​

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What Are Some Top One-Bag Travel Tips?​​​

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Pack multifunctional, neutral-color, capsule-style clothing; pack multi-use tools and bags; zip-lock/plastic bags can be used for nearly everything, test everything before you commit to a purchase, be flexible (buying on the road, shipping items home, donating), use the clothes you own to start (comfort first), remember that almost everything is available everywhere, if you need it; don't get hung up on choosing a backpack; less is almost always more, etc. 

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For a continuously updated list of one-bag travel tips, check out One-Bag Travel Tips.

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What Are Some Common Mistakes to Avoid?

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Getting hung up on your backpack, not prioritizing comfort, packing "just in case" items, packing clothes that don't pair well, packing too many shoes, packing shoes that haven't been tested, choosing the first backpack that pops up on your Instagram feed, not checking airline restrictions, not planning for laundry, not considering weather, being overly concerned about weather, etc. 

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These are just a few of the common mistakes people make when they first start one-bagging, for a full list common mistakes and how to avoid them, check out Common One-Bag Travel Mistakes.

 

Conclusion

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One Bag Travel can be incredibly rewarding, freeing and fun, but it comes with caveats and trade-offs. You can read a thousand articles and post a million questions on Reddit, but the only way to really optimize your pack is to hit the road with what you have and make improvements as you learn.

 

Remember to stay flexible, there are a lot of opinions and a lot of ways to accomplish the same thing, find the methods and tools that works for you, and enjoy the freedom that comes from fitting your life in a backpack.

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As always, happy travels.​​​​​​​​​​​